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Learn how to place instructions effectively across different layers of mixus to ensure your AI agents follow your guidance accurately and consistently.

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Overview

mixus has multiple layers where you can provide instructions to the AI. Choosing the right layer ensures your instructions have maximum impact and don’t get lost in long conversations.
Key Principle: Put instructions as close as possible to where they’ll be used. The closer the instruction is to the action, the more likely the AI will follow it.

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Instruction Layers (Priority Order)

Impact: High | Scope: All users in organizationOrganization-wide rules that apply to every conversation and agent in your organization.Best for:
  • Company communication standards
  • Compliance requirements
  • Brand voice guidelines
  • Industry-specific terminology
How to set: Go to Settings → Organization → AI RulesExample:
Always use formal language in external communications.
Never share proprietary pricing information.
Always CC [email protected] on contract discussions.
Impact: Medium-High | Scope: Individual user Personal preferences that apply to all your conversations. Best for: - Personal communication style
  • Signature preferences - Response format preferences - Language/tone preferences How to set: Go to Settings → Chat → Custom Instructions Example: Keep responses concise and bullet-pointed. Use casual, friendly tone. My timezone is PST.
Impact: Medium-High | Scope: Specific agent Custom instructions that define how a specific agent template behaves. Best for: - Agent-specific behavior customization - Domain expertise injection - Workflow-specific rules
  • Output format requirements How to set: When creating/editing an agent, configure the System Prompt field. Example: You are a sales report analyst. Focus on: - Quarter-over-quarter comparisons - Revenue trends by region - Top performing products Always format output as a markdown table.
Impact: Medium | Scope: Specific step Instructions for individual steps within an agent workflow. Best for: - Step-specific guidance - Task descriptions - Context for each action How to set: Define each step’s description when creating the agent. Example: Step 1: "Search my Gmail for emails from investors in the past week" Step 2: "Create a summary document with key points and action items" Step 3: "Draft a response addressing their main concerns"
Impact: Medium | Scope: Retrieved when relevantKnowledge stored in your memory that the AI can retrieve.Best for:
  • Reference information
  • Templates and examples
  • Historical data
  • Domain knowledge
How to use: Upload files to Memory or save chat content to memory. The AI retrieves relevant information automatically.Example: Save a file called “Email Templates.md” with approved response templates.

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Decision Guide: Where to Put Instructions

Organization Rules

Use when the instruction should apply to everyone in your organization, for every conversation. Examples: - “Always CC compliance on financial discussions” - “Use metric units for measurements”

User Instructions

Use for personal preferences that should apply to all your conversations. Examples: - “I prefer bullet points” - “My timezone is EST”

Agent System Prompt

Use when the instruction should apply to all runs of a specific agent. Examples: - “Focus on Q4 metrics” - “Output in JSON format”

Agent Steps

Use for task-specific instructions within a workflow. Examples: - “Search emails from last 7 days” - “Draft reply addressing pricing”

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Best Practices

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Do’s

Write goal-oriented instructions, not tool-specific ones
- "Use the sendEmail tool with to='[email protected]'"
+ "Send an email to John about the project update"
Use first-person language in agent steps
- "Search the user's Gmail account"
+ "Search my Gmail account"
Keep instructions concise and specific
- "When drafting emails, make sure to be professional and include a greeting
   and signature and proofread carefully and check for typos..."
+ "Draft professional emails with proper greeting and signature"
Put instructions where they’re most relevant
- Organization rule: "Always attach the Q4 report when discussing sales"
+ Agent step: "Attach the Q4 report to this email"

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Don’ts

Don’t repeat the same instruction in multiple layers
If you say “be professional” in org rules, user instructions, AND agent prompt, you’re wasting context space.
Don’t use overly technical language
The AI understands natural language. Write instructions as if explaining to a colleague.
Don’t include implementation details in agent steps
Let the AI figure out how to accomplish the goal. Focus on what, not how.

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Handling Long Conversations

Context Bloat: In long conversations, earlier instructions may become less effective as the AI’s context fills up. Here’s how to manage this:

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When Context Gets Too Large

  1. Start a Fresh Chat: For new topics, starting a new chat gives the AI a fresh context
  2. Use Agent Chaining: Split complex workflows into multiple agents that pass results to each other
  3. Create Micro-Agents: Build specialized agents for specific tasks rather than one agent that does everything

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Signs of Context Bloat

  • AI stops following earlier instructions
  • AI uses wrong tools or approaches
  • Inconsistent behavior during long conversations
  • AI “forgets” information from earlier in the conversation

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Practical Examples

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Example 1: Sales Report Workflow

All financial reports must include disclaimer about forward-looking statements.
Use fiscal year definitions (July 1 - June 30).

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Example 2: Email Response Workflow

Keep email responses under 200 words.
Use my standard signature: "Best, Sarah"

Creating Agents

Learn how to create and configure AI agents

Micro-Agent Patterns

Advanced patterns for complex workflows

Agent Examples

Real-world agent configurations